Democrats Prepare to Endorse Pelosi’s Soviet-Style Impeachment

Members cannot in good faith endorse this process. Rather than address legitimate concerns, Speaker Pelosi’s resolution simply reaffirms and builds upon weeks of a rotten evidence-gathering process as the foundation for the impeachment of President Trump.

Background

Over a month ago, Speaker Pelosi unilaterally declared an impeachment inquiry in a press conference.

Speaker Pelosi then authorized Chairman Schiff to preside over an unprecedented investigation with the predetermined outcome of impeaching President Trump.

Since then, Democrats have been operating under a Soviet-style process, denying 75% of voting Members of Congress, and therefore the over 230 million Americans they represent, a voice in the process by excluding them from hearings and access to transcripts.

Democrats have selectively leaked evidence in an attempt to damage the President without providing the full body of evidence, which has irrevocably tainted any outcome of the investigation.

H. Res. 660 – Continued Soviet-Style Impeachment Inquiry

Speaker Pelosi’s resolution only further stacks the deck against President Trump.

This resolution does not end Chairman Schiff’s closed-door evidence gathering. It simply endorses his secretive process, authorizes him to continue, and only requires him to hold one public hearing with a handpicked witness and without the President’s counsel in attendance.

This resolution allows Chairman Schiff to keep evidence from the HPSCI investigation secret. The Judiciary Committee and the President’s counsel will only be able to review evidence that Chairman Schiff decides to transmit.

By transmitting only damaging facts to the Judiciary Committee and by forbidding witness to answer questions posed by Republican Members of Congress, Chairman Schiff has made a mockery of the House’s solemn duty and history of bipartisan rights in these proceedings.

The American people will still have no access to the truth, the facts, or the full body of evidence in Democrats’ tainted case against the President.

Not Your Father’s Impeachment

Under H. Res. 660, House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry will look drastically different from the impeachment rules and proceedings adopted across both parties during President Nixon’s 1974 proceedings and President Clinton’s 1998 proceedings. (Side-by-side courtesy of the Judiciary Committee)

SUBPOENAS: Chairman and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee authorized to issue subpoenas, acting jointly or unilaterally.

COMMITTEE PROCEDURES: Judiciary Committee adopted procedures for conducting the impeachment inquiry that closely mirrored those relied upon during the Nixon impeachment inquiry.

PRESIDENT’S COUNSEL: Committee proceedings allowed President’s counsel to attend all hearings, including those in executive session; question any witness called before the Committee; submit written requests for additional testimony and precise summaries of what he would propose to show; and respond to evidence received and testimony presented either orally or in writing, as determined by the Committee.

The President’s counsel could also review all evidence obtained in the course of the impeachment inquiry

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

COMMITTEE AUTHORIZATION: Directs six committees — led by HPSCI — to “continue ongoing investigations” as part of House Democrats’ so-called “impeachment inquiry.”

SUBPOENAS: Chairs of HPSCI and Judiciary Committee authorized to issue subpoenas. Ranking Members of HPSCI and Judiciary Committee authorized to issue subpoenas only if the Chairman approves.

COMMITTEE PROCEDURES: Judiciary Committee must operate pursuant to procedures imposed by the Chairman of the Rules Committee. The Judiciary Committee may adopt additional procedures as long as they are not inconsistent with the McGovern Procedures.

PRESIDENT’S COUNSEL: Only allows the President’s counsel to participate in Judiciary Committee proceedings. It provides no ability to participate in the ongoing HPSCI investigation.

Assuming that the McGovern Procedures allow the President’s counsel to participate in Judiciary Committee proceedings, he will only have access to documents transmitted to the Judiciary Committee and not all material obtained in the course of HPSCI’s investigation.

THE RESOLUTION

The bottom line: This resolution fails to provide the minority and the administration with the same due process rights which have been afforded in past presidential impeachments and is simply meant to authorize the production of tainted evidence by Chairman Schiff.